Tag: lobbyists

Massie’s AIPAC Act Targets Israel’s Foreign-influence Loophole

A Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th District has become a national test of money, loyalty, and foreign influence in Washington.

Representative Thomas Massie, a strong constitutionalist, is fighting for his political survival against Trump-endorsed Ed Gallrein. But the contest is no longer merely local. It has become a proxy battle over Israel, AIPAC, and the power of donor networks to punish lawmakers who break from Washington’s foreign-policy consensus.

As pro-Israel groups spend heavily to unseat him, Massie answered with legislation. Last Thursday, he introduced the Americans Insist on Political Agent Clarity Act, or AIPAC Act. The bill arrives as a transparency measure and poses a sharp question: When does a domestic lobbying group become a vehicle for a foreign state’s interests?

The Bill

Massie’s bill would amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, known as FARA. The law already requires certain agents of foreign principals to register with the Justice Department (DOJ) and disclose their work. Massie’s proposal targets what he calls a loophole for U.S.-based organizations that do not directly receive foreign-government money or instructions, yet lobby in ways that principally benefit a foreign nation.

The bill says FARA should cover “any organization, association, corporation, or other entity” organized under U.S. law that “does not directly receive funding or instruction from a foreign government,” but whose “lobbying activities or stated mission” seek to influence U.S. policy “in furtherance of the political or economic interests of a foreign country.” It also allows DOJ to examine “objective indicia,” including “repeated advocacy” aligned with a foreign government’s diplomatic goals, “coordination with foreign officials,” foreign strategic guidance, or even whether the lobbying activity uses the name of a foreign nation.

The bill also creates a new complaint mechanism. “Any citizen of the United States may file a complaint with the Department of Justice requesting investigation of potential violations,” the text says. That provision would give citizens a formal path to trigger DOJ review, though the department would still control enforcement.

In his announcement, Massie stressed that the measure “does not ban speech, restrict advocacy, or prohibit Americans from supporting foreign allies.” However, he said,

Americans have a right to know when powerful lobbying organizations are advancing the interests of foreign governments in Congress…. [The bill] simply ensures transparency. If an organization is heavily engaged in influencing U.S. policy in ways that principally benefit a foreign country, it should be required to register under FARA.

The bill itself echoes that argument. It states that FARA serves “compelling interests in national security and transparency” and says disclosure requirements do not abridge speech or association.

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Human Rights Campaign Brags LGBTQ+ Voters Will Be 20% of U.S. Electorate by 2040, Has Record $15 Million War Chest to Help Democrats in Midterms

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), one of the nation’s most powerful LGBT lobbying organizations, is openly declaring that LGBT voters will explode from roughly 10% of the electorate in the 2026 midterms to a staggering 20% by 2040.

The far-left organization is also sitting on a record $15 million electoral war chest aimed squarely at flipping Republican-held House seats and undermining the Trump administration in the upcoming midterms.

The Post Millennial reports:

The comments came in response to California Governor Gavin Newsom moderating his stance with male children identifying as transgender and playing in girls’ sports. When asked by Politico about the how Newsom has appeared to change his stance, HRC President Kelley Robinson said, “As a baseline, anybody that wants to be president in 2028 needs to stand for the civil rights and protections of every person in this country. And yes, that includes trans people.”

“Look, LGBTQ+ people are a growing demographic. We’re going to be 10% of the electorate this year, 20% of the electorate by 2040. We are a powerful constituency, and we’re going to demand that folks who want to represent us represent all of us,” she added.

Robinson laid out HRC’s vision going forward for the midterm election cycle as well for Democrats to get their messaging right, for those in the LBTQ community. The group is looking to flip eight seats currently held by Republicans, which includes districts currently served by Reps. David Schweikert, Juan Ciscomani, David Valadao, Darrell Issa, Tom Barrett, Mike Lawler, Ryan Mackenzie, and Rob Bresnahan.

The $15 million investment, described by HRC as its largest-ever non-presidential-cycle spending, will target eight specific Republican-held House districts, fund heavy advertising, grassroots canvassing, and mobilization efforts, and support Democratic candidates in key states including Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Texas.

HRC claims the money will help “flip the House,” expand the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials, and defeat anti-LGBTQ ballot measures nationwide.

The group’s polling shows 92% of LGBT registered voters say they will “definitely vote” in November 2026, far higher than the 68% of non-LGBT voters who say the same.

HRC also claims it has identified more than 74 million “equality voters” whom it intends to turn out, according to a Politico interview.

However, HRC’s projections rely heavily on self-identification trends among younger generations, claiming nearly 30% of Gen Z now identify as LGBT, and assume continued rapid growth without accounting for potential cultural pushback or stabilization of identification rates.

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Politico Protects Pro-Migration Lobby by Blaming Biden for Trump Victory

Politico is trying to protect President Joe Biden’s border chief Alejandro Mayorkas — and his Wall Street backers — from blame for President Donald Trump’s triumph over the Democrat Party in 2024.

Politico interviewed migration zealot Alejandro Mayorkas on May 12 and suggested that Mayorkas’s policy failures were caused by infighting in Biden’s mismanaged White House:

It seems to me … that you became really the most prominent political punching bag for a White House that did not have a coherent immigration policy, and a president who could not make up his mind about what he wanted to do about border control. I wonder how does that thesis strike you?

Mayorkas accepted Politico’s excuse, saying, “I found myself to be quite resilient,” and adding:

It was also my responsibility as a member of the cabinet to execute the orders of the Chief Executive of this country. Whether I agreed or disagreed with those orders, I made my positions known, and then when decisions were made, I executed. That’s my responsibility as a member of the cabinet.

Politico’s cover-up is important because Mayorkas’s political allies — chiefly the FWD.us lobby for West Coast investors  — are still pushing Democrats to maximize migration. For example, FWD.us and like-minded lobbies are backing the “cheap labor” migration bill that is being fronted by Rep. Marie Salazar (R-FL) and the business-backed Problem Solvers Caucus.

But there is abundant evidence that Mayorkas is a progressive who ideologically welcomed the Biden-era migration, even as Biden urged his deputies to curb the unpopular inflow.

Mayorkas also has repeatedly said that he wanted to help the “Bidenomics” economic stimulus policy by importing millions of migrants to serve as apartment-sharing renters, taxpayer-funded consumers, and low-wage workers.

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Cash for crowds scandal as lobbyist ‘offered hundreds of dollars to recruit attendees for JD Vance speech’

Vice President JD Vance‘s appearance in a state critical to the 2028 Republican presidential nomination is raising eyebrows due to a lobbyist’s bid to entice attendees.

Ahead of a rally Vance headlined in Des Moines with Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn that took place last Tuesday, a text message was sent by an Iowa ethanol lobbyist recruiting spectators to attend. The messages contained an offer of payment.

The text, obtained and published by Iowa Starting Line read:

‘Gentlemen, Jake Swanson here. I wanted to invite you to join me in seeing Vice President JD Vance this afternoon in Des Moines. I do some work for an ethanol company and so if you’re able to join, I will give you $100, and for anyone that you recruit, an additional $25. No limit on referrals, so if someone recruits a group of 20 to show up, that’s $500.’

Swanson is a lobbyist and a former policy adviser to Iowa’s Republican governor, Kim Reynolds.

In a statement to Iowa Starting Line, Swanson defended the move: ‘I love ethanol and what it does for our state. 

‘So I was happy to bring some Iowa State kids to the rally to celebrate all the things Trump-Vance have done for biofuels and I think there’s opportunity for so much more. This is what I like to do in my own personal spare time,’ Swanson noted.

The Daily Mail reached out for comment to the Vice President’s office, which did not respond in time for publication. There is no suggestion that Vance or his team were aware of Swanson’s actions. Swanson was also contacted for additional comment.

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“Existential”: Israel Quadruples Foreign-Influence Budget To Massive $730M

With the ranks of its foreign sympathizers plummeting all around the world and all across the political spectrum, the State of Israel is quadrupling its budget for so-called “public diplomacy,” bringing its 2026 spending on foreign influence campaigns to a massive $730 million.

With the country’s growing unpopularity threatening US financial, military and diplomatic support, Israel’s foreign minister has said an intensified effort to mold global opinion is an “existential issue.” Both inside and outside of Israel, the country’s public diplomacy effort is also referred to by its Hebrew name: hasbara. Even before the 2026 ramp-up in spending, Israel’s spending on hasbara was already striking. 

Recent disclosures about 2025 hasbara spending shed some light on how Israel goes about shaping public opinion. Per the Jerusalem Post, that year’s outlays included a $50 million social media ad campaign carried out on Google, YouTube, X and Outbrain. Another $40 million covered the hosting of foreign delegations. “We flew a lot of delegations to the country – whether it’s pastors, whether it’s politicians, universities,” Israeli Consul General Israel Bachar told the Jerusalem Post. “Everyone who returns from the country understands better and is more supportive. But you have to fly out a lot of people.”

“We must as a country invest much, much more,” Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar argued in December. “It should be like investing in jets, bombs and missile interceptors. In the face of what’s arrayed against us and what’s invested against us, it’s far from enough. This is an existential issue.”

An April Pew Research survey found that 60% of American adults now view Israel unfavorably — that’s up 18 points from 2022. Underscoring the mammoth challenge faced by Israel’s hasbarists, the proportion of Americans who have a very unfavorable view of Israel now stands at 28% — triple what it was in 2022. Most alarming for Israel is the cratering of support among Republicans, with 57% of those under 50 now viewing Israel unfavorably.  

The erosion of US support has taken place over a span that has included Israel’s stunningly-destructive rampage across Gaza in response to the Oct 7 2023 Hamas invasion of Israel, and this year’s US-Israeli war on Iran which has caused fuel prices to rocket higher while threatening a global economic catastrophe.

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Former Congressman David Rivera Convicted of Lobbying for Venezuela

Former Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.) was found guilty on Friday of secretly lobbying on behalf of Venezuela’s government, following a seven-week federal trial.

Rivera—alongside associate Esther Nuhfer—was convicted on all charges, including failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Prosecutors said the pair worked for the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro as part of a covert influence campaign.

According to the government’s case, Rivera leveraged his Republican political connections, including ties from his time in Congress, to push U.S. officials to ease their stance toward Venezuela’s socialist leadership.

Prosecutors alleged that Rivera secured a $50 million lobbying deal from Venezuelan official Delcy Rodríguez, with funds connected to the state oil company PDVSA.

As part of the effort, Rivera worked with Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) and others to arrange meetings with U.S. officials and business leaders.

Sessions has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

The case highlighted Miami’s long-standing role as a center of influence in U.S.–Latin America relations, shaped by its large exile community and history of anti-communist activism.

Rivera was first charged in 2022. Prosecutors said he used encrypted communications to conceal his activities, including a messaging group called “MIA.”

One of his key contacts was Venezuelan businessman Raúl Gorrín, who has separately faced U.S. bribery charges.

Messages presented at trial allegedly showed the use of coded language—referring to Maduro as “the bus driver,” Sessions as “Sombrero,” and money as “melons.”

Rivera denied any wrongdoing.

His defense argued that his firm was hired by a U.S.-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s oil company, not directly by the Venezuelan government, and therefore did not require registration under foreign agent laws.

They also said his work focused on business matters, including helping Citgo operate in the United States, and on encouraging political change in Venezuela.

However, prosecutors pointed to a related civil case alleging Rivera performed little of the contracted work and used the agreement to mask illegal lobbying.

Of the roughly $20 million he received, they said millions were diverted to personal expenses, including maintaining Gorrín’s luxury yacht.

Prosecutors said Rivera viewed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a key ally for gaining access to senior U.S. officials. Rubio was not accused of any misconduct.

Court records showed Rivera met with Rubio in Washington in 2017 and later encouraged him to support negotiations with Maduro, suggesting the United States should help facilitate a peaceful resolution.

The effort ultimately failed.

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DNC votes down ‘dark money’ resolution singling out AIPAC, defers resolution on military aid to Israel

Members of the Democratic National Committee voted down a symbolic resolution aimed at curbing the “growing influence” of “dark money” corporate groups in Democratic primaries that specifically called out the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Earlier in Thursday’s meeting in New Orleans, committee members approved a broader measure condemning the influence of dark money in the midterms without naming specific groups. They then rejected a separate resolution that singled out AIPAC.

Allison Minnerly, who sponsored the resolution, responded to the criticism that her resolution was singling out AIPAC, the pro-Israel political lobbying group.

“Members like to say that we don’t want to single out AIPAC, but AIPAC will entirely single out them and all of our different progressive leaders when it comes to primary elections,” said Minnerly.

AIPAC’s influence has become a flashpoint inside the Democratic Party, as leaders struggle to respond to rapidly shifting views about Israel among progressives, especially in the wake of the war in Gaza and amid the current U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. 

DNC Chair Ken Martin posted on X, stating, “We had various resolutions that focused on different industries and groups, and instead of going one-by-one, we passed a blanket repudiation.”

The panel’s rejection of the AIPAC resolution means it will not go before the full body for a final vote on Friday.

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U.S. Marshals RAID Home of Former Republican Lobbyist Jim Courtovich

U.S. Marshals raided the upscale home of former Republican lobbyist Jim Courtovich, enforcing a federal court order tied to a $4 million judgment stemming from allegations of financial misconduct.

Courtovich, the founder of Sphere Consulting and a fixture on the K Street party circuit, once rubbed elbows with media elites and GOP heavyweights.

During the 2016 Republican primary, Courtovich supported Jeb Bush, one of Trump’s main rivals. He reportedly did not vote in the 2016 general election.

According to a report from The New York Times and journalist Brody Mullins, a team of armed federal agents arrived at Courtovich’s multimillion-dollar residence near Kalorama just before 10 a.m., loudly announcing their presence and warning they were prepared to forcibly enter if necessary.

The raid enforces a federal court judgment ordering him to repay $4 million-plus, in what Saudi-backed investors claim was a brazen breach of contract and outright fraud.

“US Marshals this morning raided the home of Jim Courtovich, the once-high flying Republican lobbyist & fixer.
Saudi & other business partners had won a judgment against him for stealing $4m, & the raid was an effort to collect, reports Brody Mullins, who was on the scene & has a lively dispatch in his new Influence newsletter.”

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How Will Corporate Lobbyists Fix Healthcare? Don’t Ask—Because You Can’t

Corporate media political reporting has always been a clubby endeavor, but a recent reporting experience suggests that the insider culture in Washington, DC, is more insular than ever.

It’s often a challenge for independent media to get responses from Washington insider sources—especially on stories critical of powerful actors—but it’s become increasingly difficult even to pose the questions to those sources. Corporate news sources now issue press releases without bothering to include any information about who to contact with follow-up questions, as if the source is handing the truth down from on high.

When I first encountered this phenomenon after returning to journalism three years ago, I assumed it was a function of the laziness and/or incompetence of individual PR hacks. In my previous life, I had written a few dozen press releases, and “who’s the contact person?” was always a key question to answer in planning media outreach. But today, a failure to offer contact information increasingly appears to be a deliberate strategy to stymie journalistic inquiry.

‘No Surprises’ unsurprising fiasco

Last November, my healthcare politics online newsletter, Healing and Stealing (11/7/25), published an investigation of a national coalition of health insurers and other big businesses. The Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing includes major business lobbying trade associations like the National Retail Federation, National Restaurant Association, National Association of Manufacturers and the health insurance industry trade group AHIP. Through those associations and business/labor health policy alliances, most of the largest employers in the US and many major labor unions are part of the Coalition, in alliance with the health insurance companies that sell them health plans for their employees.

The Coalition lobbied for passage of the No Surprises Act. The law, passed in December 2020 and signed by President Donald Trump, limits the amount that patients have to pay out of pocket when they unknowingly see a doctor or use another service that is not covered in their health insurance plan’s network. The law also set up a new arbitration system to resolve disputes—between employers and insurers on one side, and hospitals, labs, doctors’ offices and ambulance companies on the other—over the rest of the bills.

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AIPAC Coordinates Donors in Illinois House Primaries

With Israel’s reputation reaching record lows among Democrats, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is resorting to ever more sophisticated methods to support its preferred candidates while cloaking its own involvement.

The amount of money that the premier pro-Israel organization is able to spend in elections is extraordinarily valuable to candidates who would otherwise have little chance of winning. But it now comes with a catch: If voters know the money comes from an organization advocating on behalf of Israel, it can do more harm than good.

AIPAC road-tested its stealth approach in a 2024 House primary in Oregon that pitted Susheela Jayapal, the sister of Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), against physician Maxine Dexter. Dexter raised relatively little money throughout much of her campaign, then saw a last-minute deluge organized by AIPAC coupled with outside spending through super PACs, which themselves turned out to be funded by AIPAC. The timing of the donations meant that there was no meaningful transparency before voters went to the polls, and Dexter expressed a mixture of ignorance and umbrage when her opponents suggested the money actually came from AIPAC.

The main super PAC in question (named 314 Action) explicitly denied that any funding came from AIPAC—a claim revealed as a flagrant lie once disclosure records finally became public. But by then, Dexter had triumphed and was on her way to Congress.

Campaign staffers expect AIPAC to continue using the tactic in this year’s primaries. “In these districts where we have a progressive primary fight, you’re going to see AIPAC put out a network of shell PACs, putting money into races without putting their name on it,” said Usamah Andrabi of the progressive campaign group Justice Democrats.

And indeed, the same pattern is emerging in three competitive House primaries in Illinois. The pieces of the puzzle can be found in the campaign disclosures of House candidates Laura Fine, a state legislator running in Illinois’s Ninth Congressional District for the open seat vacated by Rep. Jan Schakowsky on the North Side of Chicago and its northern suburbs; Donna Miller, a Cook County commissioner running in Illinois’s Second District to replace Rep. Robin Kelly on Chicago’s South Side and southern suburbs; and Melissa Bean, a banker and former member of Congress making a comeback in Illinois’s Eighth District in the western suburbs of Chicago. Bean is also running for an open seat to replace Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who like Kelly is running for Senate.

Putting the pieces together, it is clear that AIPAC is again funding super PACs in order to secretly funnel money to its preferred candidates, while also coordinating donors to give to those candidates directly.

Miller is running in a race that features an attempted political comeback by Jesse Jackson Jr., and Fine is squaring off against progressive Daniel Biss and Kat Abughazaleh, who became a national figure after she was indicted by the Trump Justice Department for her role in anti-ICE protests. Bean is facing Junaid Ahmed, who supports ending all military aid to Israel.

A look at Miller, Fine, and Bean’s filings betrays an impressively coordinated operation at work. Sixty-five donors who previously gave to AIPAC or its affiliated super PAC United Democracy Project (UDP) have given to both Miller and Fine. These donors delivered $88,066.66 to the Fine campaign. They also contributed $119,746.33 to Miller. A whopping 237 former AIPAC/UDP donors have given to both Miller and Bean, contributing $396,288.01 to Bean and $429,083.00 to Miller. Forty-four of these donors have given to all three candidates, sending a total of $208,753.33 to them.

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